From Car Wash to CEO: How One Graduate Sidestepped the Post-Uni Job Scramble
For Louis Clougher, a chance encounter in a Newcastle back alley changed everything. While washing his own hatchback, a stranger asked for a business card — and the 22-year-old suddenly saw a gap in the market. Within months, his mobile car valet service was up and running, and today it employs two full-time staff.
“I was actually pretty nervous about finding a job after uni,” says the Northumbria University business management graduate (2023). “You send your CV to hundreds of places and hear nothing back. It’s brutal out there.”
But not every graduate can craft their own opportunity. Fresh government figures lay bare the uneven landscape for leavers in the North East and Cumbria. While 61% of 2023–24 graduates from north-east England entered work without further study — up two points on the previous year — the picture varies wildly by institution.
At Durham University, just 49% of graduates found first-year employment without extra study. At Sunderland and Newcastle the figure hits 60%. Over in Cumbria, the University of Cumbria boasts 72% — a gap that reflects not just course choice but the local job market’s patchiness.
Florence McMahon, 26, graduated from the University of Sunderland in 2021 with a 2:1 in performing arts. Three years on, she still hasn’t landed a full-time creative role. “I’ve done bits and pieces — support work, family business stuff,” she says. “I set up my own theatre company because I thought, if no one’s hiring me, I’ll hire myself.” Yet the company barely covers her bills. “It’s just me writing, producing, directing, and the money is nowhere near enough. My current job ends this month, and I’ve got another starting in September — but it’s not in the arts.”
She adds: “I spent all that money on a qualification and I’ve got nowhere to put it.”
The disparity has pushed universities to rethink their approach. Teesside University now weaves employability skills into every course. Northumbria runs The Business Clinic, which helped Clougher get his startup off the ground. The University of Cumbria has a dedicated careers and employability service.
Vivienne Stern, chief executive of Universities UK, says the sector is actively exploring how to do better. “Graduate employability is central to what universities do. We’re pulling together a list of ideas — due in the autumn — and one thing I’d expect is ensuring every graduate can access a work placement. That’s powerful.” She also notes that 40% of universities already offer lifelong careers support to alumni, and she wants that to become universal.
Clougher believes entrepreneurship should be a mainstream option, not a wildcard. “It’s not a natural progression for everyone, but lots of people have good ideas. Universities should back that,” he says.
Meanwhile, the government has signalled it will crack down on courses with “consistently poor returns” for students, drawing up legislative options to limit their expansion. The Department for Education says the move is about “prioritising student outcomes over volume or profits.”
As the debate over graduate employment intensifies, Clougher’s story — and McMahon’s struggle — illustrate two sides of the same coin. With regional disparities, shifting policy, and a tight labour market, the post-uni race shows no sign of slowing down.